My Favorite Album with Jeremy Dylan

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216. Courtney Marie Andrews on Bob Dylan 'Blood on the Tracks' (1975) Aug 02, 2017

Show notes

Americana singer-songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews joins me to talk about one of high watermarks of Bob Dylan's career - his 1975 breakup album 'Blood on the Tracks'.

We talk about why this album is Dylan at his most emotionally transparent, how the album captures all the different colours of a relationship - and its disillusion, how Dylan has maintained his mystique for over 50 years, how turn a song written from trauma into something you can sign night after night, and why Courtney wishes she was compared more often to men.

My Favorite Album is a podcast on the impact great music has on our lives. Each episode features a guest on their favorite album of all time - why they love it, their history with the album and how it's influenced them. Jeremy Dylan is a filmmaker, journalist and photographer from Sydney, Australia who has worked in the music industry since 2007. He directed the the feature music documentary Jim Lauderdale: The King of Broken Hearts (out now!) and the feature film Benjamin Sniddlegrass and the Cauldron of Penguins, in addition to many commercials and music videos.

If you've got any feedback or suggestions, drop us a line at myfavoritealbumpodcast@gmail.com.

215. Anita Lester on Leonard Cohen 'Songs of Love and Hate', Cohen's sexuality and heavy Jewish themes Jul 27, 2017

Show notes

After 214 episodes and four and a half years of podcasting, Leonard Cohen makes his first appearance on the show. One of my earliest guests, purveyor of dark sensuality and grand emotional intimacy Anita Lester joins me from London to unpack the allure, craft and mystique of Cohen - how he entered Anita's life during a traumatic moment in her childhood, the confronting maturity of his lyrics, the atypically adult sexuality in his music, why listening to his music doesn't make her sad and what is was like to see Cohen live a few years before he died.

Plus, Anita closes the show with a cover of my personal favorite Leonard Cohen song 'I'm Your Man'.

If you've got any feedback or suggestions, drop us a line at myfavoritealbumpodcast@gmail.com.

214. Meet Me In The Bathroom author Lizzy Goodman on Yeah Yeah Yeahs 'Fever to Tell', why Karen O is a true rock star, the magic of 'Maps' and more Jul 19, 2017

Show notes

Rock journalist and author of the definitive oral history of the New York rock revival 'Meet Me in the Bathroom', Lizzy Goodman, joins me to talk about one of the seminal albums of that era - the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' debut LP 'Fever to Tell'.

We talk about why Karen O is the truest rock star of her era, what makes 'Maps' such a special song and how it influenced mainstream pop, the contrast between the band's offstage awkwardness and their high-octane music, why being a woman can't be politically neutral in rock and the world in general, why it's silly to pretend clothes don't matter and why Lorde made her excited about the next wave of New York music.

Plus we delve into the writing process of 'Meet Me in the Bathroom', 2017's best music book, and why she will never undertake a similar project again.

If you've got any feedback or suggestions, drop us a line at myfavoritealbumpodcast@gmail.com.

213. JAY-Z biographer Zack O'Malley Greenburg on JAY-Z 'Reasonable Doubt' (1996) Jul 10, 2017

Show notes

With the release of JAY-Z's first album in years, Forbes magazine senior editor and author Zack O'Malley Greenburg joins me for a look back on Jay's 1996 debut album 'Reasonable Doubt'.

Zack lays out the true stories behind the myths of how the album was released, why Jay-Z founded Roc-A-Fella records, how Biggie almost swiped the track for 'Brooklyn's Finest' and how it became a duet between him and Jay, why it's ignorant to wag your finger at conspicuous consumption in hip-hop, why 'Reasonable Doubt' is particularly special to the man who made it and also what is up with the hyphen in Jay's name.

If you've got any feedback or suggestions, drop us a line at myfavoritealbumpodcast@gmail.com.

212. #BeatlesMonth Wall Street Journal's Allan Kozinn on how 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' broke the Beatles in America and the anatomy of why it's a classic Jul 04, 2017

Show notes

On the final episode of #BeatlesMonth on the show, Beatles scholar, author, Wall Street Journal music critic and co-host of Beatles podcast 'Things We Said Today' Allan Kozinn joins me to tell the behind-the-scenes story of 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' - why hadn't the Beatles cracked America prior to this song? How did a teenage girl and a radio DJ force the Beatles record label to rush release the song? How did the JFK assassination set the stage for Americans embrace of aspirational British pop?

Plus we break down the song piece by piece to show how the Fab Four constructed a perfect single which was just as groundbreaking and sophisticated as their later work - from the lyrics to the harmonies, the guitar parts and their first use of four-track overdubbing, and how it marked the apex and the climax of their 'Wooo' period.

If you enjoyed this episode, pick up a copy of Allan's book Got That Something! How the Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" Changed Everything.

My Favorite Album is a podcast unpacking the great works of pop music. Each episode features a different songwriter or musician discussing their favorite album of all time - their history with it, the making of the album, individual songs and the album's influence on their own music. Jeremy Dylan is a filmmaker, journalist and photographer from Sydney, Australia who has worked in the music industry since 2007. He directed the the feature music documentary Jim Lauderdale: The King of Broken Hearts (out now!) and the feature film Benjamin Sniddlegrass and the Cauldron of Penguins, in addition to many commercials and music videos.

If you've got any feedback or suggestions, drop us a line at myfavoritealbumpodcast@gmail.com.

211. #BeatlesMonth Conan's Jimmy Vivino on the new Sgt Pepper mixes and recreating the Beatles albums live with the Fab Faux Jun 28, 2017

Show notes

Jimmy Vivino is most visible as the leader of the Basic Cable Band, showing his range, dynamism and tastefully ferocious guitar licks every night alongside Conan O'Brien, who he's played with since his days as a founding member of the Max Weinberg 7 24 years ago. More relevant for today's episode is his other band The Fab Faux, in which0 he and a handful of other impeccable Beatles obsessed musicians recreate the licks and intricacies of the great band of all time's song catalogue.

I caught up with Jimmy last week to talk about the Fab Faux and why the Beatles legacy has lasted so long, but first we kicked off comparing notes on the recently release 50th Anniversary version of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which features new stereo mixes of the album by Giles Martin, son of the album's original legendary producer George Martin.

If you've got any feedback or suggestions, drop us a line at myfavoritealbumpodcast@gmail.com.

210. #BeatlesMonth Heartbreaker Benmont Tench on playing with Ringo, the Beatles RnB roots, the genius of 'No Reply' and why 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand' scared him Jun 21, 2017

Show notes

Keyboard legend Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Mudcrutch) returns to the show as Beatles Month rolls on.

Benmont unpacks the multi-layered genius of Beatles for Sale opening track 'No Reply', explores why the Beatles R'n'B roots are at the heart of their greatness, recalls how his first exposure to the band scared him as a kid, why the Heartbreakers avoided playing Beatles covers, wonders about his friend Ryan Adams' recent discovery of the Beatles albums and talks about his relationship with Ringo Starr across 20+ years of playing on each other's records.

If you've got any feedback or suggestions, drop us a line at myfavoritealbumpodcast@gmail.com.

#BeatlesMonth Drum legend Kenny Aronoff on playing Beatles songs with Ringo Starr Jun 16, 2017

Show notes

Legendary session god drummer Kenny Aronoff welcomes me to his LA studio for a inspirational chat about childhood dreams coming true. How he went from a child discovering rock'n'roll with the Beatles on Ed Sullivan to playing with Ringo Starr 50 years later on a TV special celebrating that very same Ed Sullivan appearance.

How did John Mellencamp help him become a more Ringo-esque drummer? What does Kenny see as the drummer's true purpose in a recording session? What story did Paul McCartney tell him about the Beatles first trip to NYC? What's it like to play Beatles songs in front of and alongside Beatles? What's the difference between playing 'Something' with Joe Walsh and 'Hey Bulldog' with Dave Grohl? How did the Beatles use a "less is more" approach to create dynamics in their music.

Plus, great stories of moments in the studio with the Rolling Stones, Iggy Pop, John Hiatt, Don Was and more.

My Favorite Album is a podcast unpacking the great works of pop music. Each episode features a different songwriter or musician discussing their favorite album of all time - their history with it, the making of the album, individual songs and the album's influence on their own music. Jeremy Dylan is a filmmaker, journalist and photographer from Sydney, Australia. He directed the music documentary Jim Lauderdale: The King of Broken Hearts and feature film Benjamin Sniddlegrass and the Cauldron of Penguins, and writes for Capital News magazine.

If you've got any feedback or suggestions, drop us a line at myfavoritealbumpodcast@gmail.com.

This episode was originally released in July 2016.

#BeatlesMonth Davey Lane breaks down 'Abbey Road', armed with the multitracks and a bottle of Lagavulin Jun 07, 2017

Show notes

Australia's Mr Rock'n'Roll Davey Lane, lead guitarist for You Am I and singer/songwriter, returns for the third time to the podcast for our most epic Beatles chat yet. Armed with a bottle of Lagavulin, an acoustic guitar and the original multi-track recordings, we delve into the Fab Four's final masterpiece 'Abbey Road'.

How does the album function as the band's final mission statement? How did Her Majesty originally fit into the album? Which members of The Office cast should star in the Ricky Gervais directed Beatles movie? How does John Lennon's contribution to the album presage his solo work? What is the Beatles signature chord change? Why do people hate Paul McCartney, the man who wrote the most profound lyric in rock'n'roll? and what was Davey's experience seeing Sir Paul live earlier this year?

Plus, we dig into the multi-track recordings of Something, I Want You (She's So Heavy), Polythene Pam and Oh Darling and look at the musical complexities of these classic tracks - the melodies of McCartney's bass-lines, the intricate Beatle harmonies and the singable guitar solos.

If you've got any feedback or suggestions, drop us a line at myfavoritealbumpodcast@gmail.com.

This episode was originally released in October 2015

209. #BeatlesMonth - TV legend Ken Levine on 50 years of 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' Jun 02, 2017

Show notes

All of June we are celebrating the Fab Four, indulging my favorite past time - talking about the Beatles - with guests old and new, and revisiting some favorite episodes from the past three and a half years of podcasts.

Today we are celebrating 50 years of Sgt Pepper with TV legend Ken Levine - writer, producer and director on iconic shows from M*A*S*H to Cheers to Frasier, co-creator of Almost Perfect and Big Wave Dave's, I could go on... He's also a baseball announcer, author, my favorite blogger and host of his own podcast Hollywood and Levine.

Ken's masterful storytelling is at the fore in this episode as he lays out how he discovered the Beatles as a teenager in 1964, his doomed scheme to meet the band in California, his encounters with John Lennon and Ringo Starr, why he chose not to see the Beatles live, and what it was like to work in a record store when Sgt Pepper was unleashed on the world. We talk about how his feelings about the record have and haven't changed through the years, and why it's the one album he will never get sick of listening to.

If you've got any feedback or suggestions, drop us a line at myfavoritealbumpodcast@gmail.com.

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